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World Meeting of Families: The importance of vocational pastoral work


There is great expectation for the opening of the World Meeting of Families, beginning on Wednesday 23 June and ending on Saturday, 25 June. ‘Family love: vocation and the way to holiness’ is the theme of this edition, which kicks off with the Festival of Families. Around two thousand delegates from 120 countries have been invited, chosen by the local Bishops’ Conferences, Synods of the Oriental Churches, and international ecclesial realities.This meeting is being held at a difficult time for humanity, harshly tried by the pandemic and war. Gabriella Gambino, Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life spoke to Vatican News’ Debora Donnini about these difficulties, as well as her hopes for the event.Hopes“After a whole year dedicated to family pastoral care with all the great work that has been done, I believe it is really time to ‘make Church’ together with families and pastors,” says Gabriella Gambino.She describes the hope as being one of hearing words of encouragement from the Holy Father,

“so that when this Year of the Family is over, we will be able to continue on a journey together.”Work of families in evangelisationMs. Gambino goes on to describe the importance of involving children in the pastoral work of evangelisation, explaining that “the whole family is called to Christian proclamation”.“I believe that, today, one of the greatest challenges for us parents is precisely that of transmitting to our children the awareness, and also the courage to proclaim Christ present in our families.”She adds that it is also important to teach our children to do so, no matter the complexity of the times in which we are living.Themes and their linksFormation, accompaniment, and transmission of the faith to the new generations are some of the themes of the event.The “fundamental” one is the proclamation of the vocation of each family, of each person within the family, says Ms. Gambino. She explains that “the family is a path to holiness and sanctification that each of us has at our disposal.“The family is a gift that the Lord gives us.”She says it is important to train people who know how to meet the reality of today’s families. Families need to be accompanied, especially young engaged couples and spouses, in the reality they live, so that from there they can discover their vocation and encounter Christ, she says.“

It is also important that we learn to transmit the faith to young people starting from the reality in which they are inserted, therefore also having the courage to address issues that are very difficult for us today, on which we are sometimes poorly prepared,” she adds.Document: catechumenal itineraries for married lifeThe final point discussed by Ms. Gambino is a recently published document entitled “Catechumenal Itineraries for Married Life”, published as part of the Pastoral Guidelines for Particular Churches, prepared by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, and with a preface by Pope Francis.Ms. Gambino explains that this text was explicitly desired by the Holy Father, precisely because we live in an era in which marriage needs to be announced with greater strength, with greater clarity, but above all, it needs to be announced ‘in time’.For this reason, she explains, “I believe that one of the most interesting aspects of this document is the fact that it proposes a very ‘remote’ preparation for married life.”This involves talking to children about the Sacrament of Marriage in Christian initiation courses to help them understand that marriage is a vocation and a calling from God.Finally, the Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life talks about the importance of accompaniment even after the celebration of the Marriage Rite, that is, of a strong pastoral care of the bond, “because couples, especially in the first years of marriage, need to be accompanied.”Nobody must be left alone in these moments, but rather they must “feel part of a Church community, which helps them get through moments of crisis, because a crisis is a normal phase in the life of two people who live together for a lifetime.“We must ‘accompany’ couples, so that they know how to live crises as opportunities for growth and not as moments that mark insuperable wounds.”

Honouring the Saints Next Door - Sunday 18th May at 4pm

April 1, 2025
Pope Francis has encouraged parishes to connect with local Saints in this Jubilee Year, asking them to "remember and honour these figures of holiness each year". Richard Atkinson, a parishioner from Yorkshire has researched a selection of Saints and the Blessed with Yorkshire connections and has kindly agreed to come to St Robert's to share with us his understanding of their journey in faith to demonstrate the extraordinary lives they led from ordinary beginnings. The lives of the Saints are a historical account but their witness of God's love along with their intercessions shed light on our lives today. The talk will take place in the parish centre at 4pm on Sunday 18th May and all are welcome. Refreshments will be provided. Do put this date into your diary - it should be an enjoyable and informative event in celebration of this Jubilee Year.

Day of Recollection - Towards Holy Week

March 31, 2025
Father John Butters of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, formerly professor of Moral Theology at Ushaw College, will lead us in a day of recollection beginning at 1030am on Wednesday 9th April with the theme of looking towards the liturgies of Holy Week. Do join us for what should be an enjoyable and stimulating day of prayer and reflection towards the end of the Lenten season. Coffee will be available from 1015am. The day will begin with the first talk at 1030am followed by adoration in church with the opportunity for Confession. After the Noon Mass we will reconvene for lunch in the parish centre and this will be followed by a closing talk and final prayer. A sign up sheet is available in the narthex to give us an idea of numbers for catering.

CAFOD Myanmar Appeal

March 31, 2025
CAFOD

Holy Week

March 31, 2025
Holy Week is the culmination of the Lenten season. Leading up to the celebration of Easter, it commemorates the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Beginning with Palm Sunday on 13th April, we mark Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The Chrism Mass in the Cathedral sees the clergy and lay faithful of the Diocese gathering around the Bishop in St Anne's Cathedral, Leeds. During the Mass, the priests of the Diocese renew their vows of ordination and the sacred oils to be used for the sacraments during the coming year are consecrated by the Bishop. Maundy Thursday recalls the Last Supper, where Jesus instituted the Eucharist. Good Friday observes His crucifixion and death. Holy Saturday is a day of quiet reflection, leading to the joyful celebration of the Easter Vigil followed by Easter Sunday, which celebrates Christ's resurrection and victory over death. During the Vigil Mass at 8pm on Saturday 19th April, a number of our community who have spent many months preparing will be received f

Stations of the Cross in Lent

March 25, 2025
Stations of the Cross for Lent take place on Fridays at 6pm in Church including Good Friday. They are led by different parish groups each week. Please do join us for this journey with Christ in His Passion.

St Robert's Building Fund

March 17, 2025
Recently it was announced that, due to an accumulation of quite urgent work which needs to take place on the church and presbytery, mainly in the area of roof and drains, we would be setting up a Building Fund to ease the burden on existing parish funds. Just to update everyone, we are grateful to the parishioners who have joined a small Building Fund Committee to steer things. A number of ideas were put forward at the initial meeting and it was decided to launch the fund on Low Sunday (27th April). A number of parishioners have indicated that they would like to add to the fund in this financial year and arrangements have been made so that this can happen through contact with Caroline in the parish office. Once the fund launches, an overview of the proposed works with pictures of some of the affected areas will be available on the parish website along with regular updates on the progress of both the fund and the work. Just now, the architect’s proposals are going through the various diocesan committees

Lenten House Masses

March 16, 2025
Throughout Lent, on Tuesday evenings, there is a series of House Masses in the parish. A sign up sheet is available in the narthex for the next mass to be held at 7pm on Tuesday 1st April. Thank you to the Walker and McNamara families for hosting the first two Lenten House Mass. Details of where the Mass is being held will be sent to you after sign up - just drop an email to Caroline in the office once you're on the list. Those hosting will provide a room for the Mass and tea/coffee afterwards. The growing faith of the Christian Church was not tolerated in the Roman Empire prior to 313 AD, when the Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan permitting the Faith to flourish publicly. Prior to that time, Church buildings as we know them today were rare - Mass was usually celebrated in houses. In the history of our own nation, during penal times, Catholics had to gather in secret in houses where itinerant priests would celebrate Mass for illicit congregations. By holding House Masses in the parish d

Jubilee Mass at St Roberts with our two schools

February 28, 2025
Many thanks to the children and staff of St John Fisher's and St Robert's Schools who joined us for Mass on Friday 7th March to mark the Jubilee logo arriving in Harrogate on its journey around every school and college as part of the Jubilee year. We celebrated together as 'pilgrims of hope' and reflected upon the importance of the Jubilee for our schools and our parish community. Over recent days the logo has also visited schools in Ripon, Knaresborough and St Joseph's Harrogate. We continue to pray for each other, fellow pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee Year.

Sacrament of First Holy Communion

By Webmaster • February 26, 2025
Thank you to those parents who have signed up their children for First Holy Communion this year. Applications for this year's programme have now closed - the registration period of several weeks is now over. The First Holy Communion Programme will begin with a parents evening at 7pm on Tuesday 22nd April 2025 in the parish centre. This will be an opportunity for all parents to attend a presentation on what the programme involves and on the work that they are expected to do with their children at home between the sessions. The catechesis will take place after the 9am Mass from 10-11.30am on Sundays 27th April, 11th May and 18th May with your child receiving First Holy Communion at your usual mass time throughout June. Please arrange with the parish office the mass date and time you would like your child to receive the sacrament for the first time. A plenary mass, when all the children come together to be presented to the parish and receive their certificates, will take place at 9am on Sunday 6th July.

Sacrament of Reconciliation - 5th April 2025

February 6, 2025
Please pray for our children preparing to make their first Reconciliation in April. The sacrament will take place at 3pm on Saturday 5th April and preparation sessions will take place on Sunday mornings after the 9am mass on 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th March. Attendance is expected at all sessions. A parent’s session will be held on Wednesday 12th February 7-8pm in the parish centre. Please hand the completed form, with a copy of baptism certificate to Fr Simon after Mass. The final date for submission of forms for this year’s programme is 9th February - any names submitted after that date will be placed onto the programme beginning late 2026 in preparation to receive the Sacrament in 2026.
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